Burial-vault.



4 PATBNTED DEC. 5, 1905. S.'J. GOWLES & J. B. MURBA BURIAL VAULT.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 26, 1905.

fiamwelJfowles I I I I .B/Yurray UNITED sTA is PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL JQCOWLES AND JOHN B. MURRAY, OF FINDLAY, OHIO; SAID MURRAY ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT W. MARSHALL AND DAVID OF FINDLAY, OHIO.

(JRATTY,

BURIAL-VA4UHLT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

Application m d .Tanuary26,1905- $erial No. 242,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL J. CoWLEs and JOHN B. MURRAY,citizens'of the United States, residing at Findlay, in the county of Hancock and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Vaults;

and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in artificial-stone burial vaults or cases for use in inclosing coffins o-r caskets.

The object of the invention is to provide a vault of this character which is waterproof, firm, and durable, and so strong as in a measure to afford protection againstgrave-robbers.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novelfeatures of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a burial vault or case constructed in accordance with our invention, parts of the same being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View through the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the metallic frame of the body portion of the vault or case, and Fig. 4 is a similar View of the frame of the lid or top of the vault.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes our improved burial vault or case, which consists of a body 2 and a cover or lid 3. These parts are made of suitable plastic material 4, in which is embedded a metallic strengthening-frame 5. As shown, the body 2 of the vault is in the form of a rectangular box having a bottom 6, paneled sides 7, and paneled ends 8, and the lid or cover 3 is in the form of a rectangular slab or plate which has suitable handles 9 embedded or otherwise secured in its slightly-curved top or upper side.

As clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the metallic strengthening-frame 10, which is embedded in plastic material w of which the body 2 is made, consists of four upright corner-pieces 11, which are preferably in the form of perforated strips of angle-iron or other metal. The adjacent edges of these angle strips or posts 11 are connected by interlaced barbed wires 12, which form the sides, ends, and bottom of said frame 10. As

illustrated, the ends of the frame consist of three pieces of barbed wire 13, which unite the center and ends of the adjacent end flanges or portions of the angle-strips 11. The sides of the frame 10 and also its bottom each consists of parallel strands 141 and diagonallycrossed strands 15, which are connected by a centrally-disposed connecting cross-strand 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The metallic strengthening-frame 17, which is embedded in the lid or cover 3 and which is clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, consists of side and end strands 18 and 19 of barbed wire connected by diagonally-crossed strands 20 and a central crossstrand 21. These frames 10 and 17 are placed in the molds in which the body 2 and the lid or cover 3 are formed, so that they will be entirely covered by the plastic material or composition 4, which is poured into the mold in a liquid state. Molds of any desired form of construction may be employed, and the composition 4 may be of any desired waterproof plastic material. The composition 4 is, however, preferably made of Portland cement and both light and dark colored ground coke mixed with water; but any other suitable material such, for instance, as charcoalmay be substituted for the coke, or a mixture of coke and charcoal may be used with the cement.

After the burial coflin or casket or other object which the vault or case is designed to receive'has been placed therein the lid or cover is hermetically sealed thereon by a suitable cement. We preferably employ a mixture of Portland cement and sand-glass, and in order to render the vault or case more impervious we preferably coat or cover the outside of the body 2 and lid or cover 3 with this mixture of Portland cement and sand-glass. The latter may be applied or laid on with a trowel or brush after the parts of the vault or case have been removed from their molds. The construction, use, and advantages of our invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that when the cover has been sealed upon the body of the vault or case the latter will be absolutely air and water proof,

' and owing to its strong and durable construction it will be difficult for one to break-into the same.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that We do not Wish to be limited to the precise construction herein set forth, since various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention. I

Having thus described our invention, What We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A vault or body made of cement and comprising a bottom, end and side Walls, and having a metallic strengthening-frame embedded in the bottom, end and side Walls, said frame consisting of upright corner-pieces of perforated angle metal, Wires connecting said corner-pieces, diagonally-disposed crossed Wires connecting the corner-pieces and forming parts of the side Walls of the frame, dingonally-disposed crossed Wires connecting the lower ends of the corner-pieces and forming the bottom of the frame, and intermediate transverse Wires connecting the diagonallydisposed crossed Wires to the sides and bottom of the frame and the longitudinal Wires to the sides of the frame.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL J. COllLES. JOHN B. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

E. T. DUNN, MAUDE M. BUEHMER. 

